Sen. Charles (Chuck) Grassley. Why Do Iowans Keep Voting Him In?

The phone rang and it was an invitation to stay on the line and "chat" with Sen. Grassley and other southeastern Iowa residents. Odd? Not if you are an Iowan. Sen. Grassley conducts these phone question and answer events constantly and also keeps Iowa roads hot with his town hall meetings. Town hall meetings seem everyday occurrences these days, but Grassley has been doing them for years.

What makes Charles Grassley, better known as Chuck Grassley, tick? What keeps this man on the road for hours, no matter what the weather conditions, just to talk to Iowans? After going to several of Grassley's town hall meetings and sitting in on a conference call with other Iowans, it becomes clear. Sen. Chuck Grassley loves Iowa and loves Iowans. He cares about what is on our minds and he lends his ear to our problems.

The phone call consisted of 17 questions and answers. Some were over concerns of veterans' care and red tape that they (the vets) were running into. Some questions were about health care and the value of our dollar. All were sincerely asked and to Sen. Grassley's credit, they were all answered sincerely.

If you see Sen. Grassley in a town hall meeting, you see the intense attention he pays to the questions and the questioners. You can see that Grassley genuinely cares about that person's worry. Grassley talks to us like he was just another Iowa neighbor. No pretense. If you ask him a question and he doesn't know the answer, you can be sure that he (Grassley) and his crack staff will find the answer and get it to you.

Many go to Washington and forget where they came from. Sen. Harkin in no way conducts himself like Grassley. And maybe that is one reason that even democrats have to say that they respect Sen. Grassley, even if they don't like his policies/politics.

The honesty and sincerity of Sen. Grassley is what keeps voters sending him back to D.C. We (Iowans) may not agree with Grassley on everything, but we love and respect him. He keeps communication open with us and we know that if we have a problem, Sen. Grassley will try his level best to help us or point us in the right direction. How many states' voters have this kind of relationship with their Senators? I'll wager not many.

Thank you Sen. Grassley. Thank you for your phone conversations and your town hall meetings with us. We Iowans are watching and listening. You have our ear because you lend us yours. You have our vote because we trust you with it.